Have a lovely weekend, everyone! Or should I say, have a tasty weekend? 😁 Either way, if the house smells of almonds and croissants, the weekend is going to be both lovely and tasty.😉🥐
And now about these super duper wonderful French almond croissants. The idea for almond croissants came out of a baker's problem: „what do we do with the croissants we didn't sell today?”. Spread with a fantastic almond filling, dry, day-old or just-going-stale pastries could be put straight back into circulation – and what's more, earn even more money! For that reason almond croissants quickly became popular all over France, and later in other countries too. 🇫🇷
Since I have never been to France, my first encounter with an almond croissant took place in an ordinary supermarket in Lithuania. Back then I didn't yet know that this „bun” from the bakery aisle even had a fancy-sounding name (croissant aux amandes), but it looked so appealing that I couldn't hold back. Nor could I hold back a second time… Or the time after… Or the time after that… Well, you see where I am going with this. 😁 If you keep coming back to buy something again and again, perhaps it would be worth learning to make it at home? 😏
And I learned! Which is why I feel a civic duty to share this divinely tasty recipe with the wider world. 😂
I already know this will be my „go-to” recipe when visiting friends or expecting them. I have no doubt these almond croissants will also solve your „what do I bring so everyone falls off their chair” problem – but I also know you will quietly set at least one croissant aside thinking „this one's a treat for me with my coffee”😂. That is exactly what happened to me. Now I want more croissants and more coffee, which is why this recipe is entered in a competition to win a coffee machine – with greetings to www.seforeceptai.lt (Do visit, you'll find plenty of great food ideas)🤗
I would advise buying the croissants in advance and leaving them out uncovered on the counter overnight. That way they dry out a little and the end result is crisper rather than soggy. For the syrup you can use either rum or vanilla extract (since it contains alcohol). Because I can't do without vanilla, I always go for the vanilla extract. I would also recommend not waving away the almond essence and skipping it – it is unbelievable how much it changes the flavour and aroma of the filling, and you can find it in almost any supermarket.
